Author's Notes: First off, thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed "Instinct"! It means a ton to me. :) My goal with my fan fic is to write stories that authentically capture each of the JAG characters' personalities and emotions, creating pieces that can easily be inserted in between the episodes we all know and love as if they were a natural part of the series. I hope I'm able to continue doing that successfully! Of course, I have a tendency to have a Harm/Mac shipper slant on my work.

WARNING: This story is very AU, which normally I don't do. (But I thought it'd be interesting!) This piece is my sophomore JAG fan fic and it is darker than "Instinct." I imagine this to be set in Season 10, directly after "Heart of Darkness". If this story were an actual episode, none of the episodes after HOD would've occurred. I have taken some minor geographical and other liberties throughout, but have tried to remain as true as possible. Anyway, I can't wrap my brain around Zulu time, as much as I've tried, so this is set in standard 24-hour time. I've rated this T, but I will say there might be a couple borderline-ish M moments, just to be safe - suggestivity (Is that a word? It should be!), some language (four-lettered words), some violence and the like. With, of course, H/M shipperness. :)

DISCLAIMER: "La Nave del Olvido" ("The Ship of Oblivion") belongs to Jose Jose - I'm just borrowing this beautiful song and its lyrics. Oh, and I don't own JAG. If I did, it'd still be on the air. I'm just saying. (wink)

Enjoy!

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VISIBILITY
by aerielynn

September 01, 2005
0253 Zulu
Harm's Apartment

Quiver. She made him quiver. The way her creamy smooth skin elicited goose-flesh from every inch of his body as she pressed against him, olive and bare, made his heart race faster than any of the 9.5-G turns he'd ever maneuvered in the cockpit of a Tomcat.

Her long neck stretched slightly in her slumber, her chin burrowing gently in the space just to the side of his left pectoral, where she lay naked, nestled in his arms. His deep, contented breaths from his nostrils made the strands of her silky, long dark chocolate hair dance; his right hand carefully lifted to smooth them away from her now closed eyes. Brushing a section of bangs from her face, his thumb carefully traced her cheekbone, her flesh still heated from their rendezvous an hour or so before.

The touch caused her to stir, and she reached blindly with her hand over his bare chest, her eyes still shut. Automatically, his right hand latched onto hers, stroking it reassuringly. He pulled both of their hands to his lips, pressing them against her hand, and then pressing it down onto his chest.

He could feel her smile as her face shifted on his body. He knew she was awake - she was such a light sleeper, with her usual struggle with insomnia and all - but he still quietly observed her, lost in a reverie of the way she fit so perfectly in his arms.

With a soft moan, she lifted her head and gave him a sleepy grin, her eyes adjusting to the light in the room. "Hey," she murmured, scanning his face. His jaw was coated with day-old stubble that he would have normally shaved clean. Only, he seemed to find himself otherwise preoccupied. Subtle flecks of gray dotted his hairline; the lines beside his eyes etching masculine character into him. His eyes though, as she noticed every time she looked into them, were as icy blue as they had always been. And they still managed to pierce her soul upon contact.

"Hey yourself," he replied in a low, raspy voice. His right hand now took to the task of brushing every piece of hair that hindered him from seeing her dark brown eyes. Another quiver came over him as he felt her hand trailing up and down his bare chest.

"Cold?" she asked, only half concerned. The other half seemed to be lost in thought.

"Never when I'm with you," was his smooth reply as he tightened his arms around her, his left hand casually stroking her lower back.

"Mmm," she said, smiling. Her hand dipped below his naval where the sheets had covered him. She laughed softly when she felt him tense in reply. "I can tell."

"Can you now?" he challenged, lifting his head to reach down to kiss her mouth.

"Oh yes," she answered, dipping down with her free hand again. Only this time, he didn't twitch at her touch. Pressing his lips on hers, he took her fully into his arms and laid her down on her back, hovering over her in one smooth motion. He pressed gentle kisses on her neck in the little crevice near the end of her earlobe, where she liked it. He heard her moan and took it as a cue to continue southward. Shoulder, collarbone, breastbone-

Opening his eyes for a moment to navigate where he was headed next, the air seemed to completely leave his lungs as he gasped sharply at the image he saw. The florescent lights cast a sickly light on what he saw in front of him. His stomach dropped and turned; he could feel the bile racing toward his throat for a quick escape. The air was thick, chemical and cold around him, the atmosphere stale and lifeless.

His fingers reached out slowly to touch what once was olive and bare, now mostly covered in a long white sheet. He swallowed the bile down, a tear streaking down his cheek. "Wait," he breathed as she floated away on the cart. "WAIT!" he shouted, as two men came and took her away. "SARAH! SARAH!"

Harmon Rabb Jr. shot up from his sleep, screaming her name as he rose. Sweat beaded off his face and dripped onto his bare chest, his body heaving with tears and screams. When he realized he was finally awake, that what he saw now was finally real, his breathing slowed and he wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. He shivered, not fully recovered from the nightmare he just endured. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the clock. Zero three-hundred. He inhaled deeply and exhaled on a long sigh, his left hand wandering over to where she would occupy it, hoping he didn't disturb her sleep.

Only, the breath left his lungs again when the space turned up empty; the sheets and pillowcase undisturbed from the previous time he had made the bed. Jaw tightening and eyes filling with tears, he realized that he hadn't had a nightmare at all. It was just the memories he carried with him of Sarah MacKenzie, who he'd never see again - because she was dead.